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Tasting the wines the world apparently finds boring

I recently spent three days in South Australia tasting virtually every significant forthcoming release from Australia's three largest wine producers: Foster's, Constellation Wines Australia and Pernod Ricard Pacific.

04 Apr 2010

By Jeremy Oliver

Large Australian wine companies have lost
the plot. They're making hectolitres of dull, bland, boring and entirely
nondescript but perfectly sound wines that are entirely incapable of reflecting
a sense of place or even the region in which they're grown. The flagship
bearers of the Australian wine industry are falling well behind the pace of
rejuvenated European wine brands as well as the more exciting New World
producers from countries like South Africa, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina.
Buy Australian, then, if you can't be bothered to turn on your brain and just
want to play safe, very safe. Or maybe not.

This, however, is the view played like a
broken record by much of the world's wine media, who on the surface of it would
appear to spend more time reading and re-writing each others' columns than
actually tasting the wines they so constantly harp about.

So, while doing the groundwork for the
next edition of The Australian Wine Annual, I recently spent three days
in South Australia tasting virtually every significant forthcoming release from
Australia's three largest wine producers: Foster's, Constellation Wines
Australia and Pernod Ricard Pacific. And I was delighted with what I found.
Here are some edited highlights, each of which will be found on the Australian
wine market for $25 or much, much less.

Day One was at Chateau Reynella, McLaren
Vale, the spiritual and administrative home of Constellation in Australia. I
was taken by a fine, elegant and pinot-driven Yarra Burn Vintage sparkling from
2007 which underpinned its vibrant presence of cherry/berry fruit with pleasing
meaty and autolytic complexity, before finishing with tightness and freshness.
The Yarra Burn Rosé from 2006 is rounder and more creamy, with rose petal
aromas, a fine chalkiness and a delightful contrast between richness and focus.

In the white department, Amberley's
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2009 hits true Margaret River regional character, with
pristine gooseberry, lychee and passionfruit flavours backed by a light
herbaceousness and punctuated by clean acids. Brookland Valley's Verse 1
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2009 is even better, with more finesse and a
penetrative core of guava, lychee and melon flavour. Better still is the
Starvedog Lane Sauvignon Blanc 2009, whose smoky bouquet and generous cassis
and gooseberry flavours are knit with a measured minerality and plenty of
winemaker-induced funkiness.

Those seeking everyday value might check
out the bargain-priced Nottage Hill Riesling from 2009 (less than $10), which
despite some residual sweetness is fresh, long and genuinely varietal. The
generously flavoured, smooth and vibrant 2009 Chardonnay (also less than $10)
is even better. As you'd expect, Leasingham's Bin 7 Riesling 2009 is a big step
up towards a truly floral bouquet and a supple, almost fluffy presence of
crystalline citrus flavour, backed by hints of apple and pear. I'm a tough
customer on Australian pinot grigio, but took a fancy to Starvedog Lane's 2009
edition - a savoury, complex and chalky dry wine that should flesh out well.
Brookland Valley's Verse 1 Chardonnay from 2009 is a delicious modern wine with
appropriate emphasis on fruit and freshness.

I enjoyed the savoury, dusty, spicy
presence of black, red and blue fruits evident in Houghton's The Bandit Shiraz
Tempranillo 2008, while the Moondah Brook Shiraz 2008 (around $15) offers
terrific value for its deep, ripe and sweetly oaked expression of slightly
menthol-like fruit. Starvedog Lane's 2008 Shiraz Viognier might be on the
overtly floral side, but offers great short- to medium-term drinking, while
Leasingham's firm and minty Bin 61 Shiraz 2007 is a deep, dark and mineral
example set for the long term.

Day Two at Orlando's Rowland Flat
headquarters in the Barossa introduced me to some equally brilliant value and
style. First up is the Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling 2009 (around $15), a
fluffy and elegant wine that delivers all the intensity, perfume, fresh line of
fruit and acidity you could ask for at this price. However, this almost pales
against Richmond Grove's charming and willowy Watervale Riesling 2009, a true
regional beauty of suppleness and truly essential flavour. At under $20, it's a
complete steal, even better than the long, powdery and slightly toasty Orlando
St Helga Riesling from 2009.

Somewhat counter-intuitively for me, I
cannot help from recommending Jacob's Creek's drier, spicy and almost savoury
Shiraz Rosé from 2009 (under $10), while its 2009 Three Vines Rosé (under $15)
is even better, with a fine chalkiness and a long, vibrant finish.

I really liked the basic Jacob's Creek
Shiraz 2007 (under $10) for its generous, sumptuous presence and its surprising
balance and sophistication. Brilliant value indeed. The stylish and quite
savoury Three Vines Shiraz Cabernet Tempranillo from 2008 (under $15) backs its
fresh spectrum of berry flours with hints of musk and mint, plus a fine
chalkiness. And it might be multi-regional - enough these days for wine critics
to start crossing themselves or groping for idols - but Wyndham Estate's Bin
555 Shiraz from 2008 is sumptuous, smooth and simply delicious. Look out also
for the George Wyndham Shiraz Grenache 2008, which for under $20 is a very
convincing southern Rhône effort indeed. From the Limestone Coast, the rather
pliant and restrained George Wyndham Shiraz Cabernet 2006 (under $20) is very
stylish and complex - better than Limestone Ridge at less than half the price.

My final tip is the redoubtable Shiraz
2006 from the famous Rutherglen brand of Morris - a ripe and meaty regional
classic capable of lasting for decades.

This is still one heck of a lucky country!
My next column will feature the Foster's highlights.